Upper John Day Watershed Restoration Program, a multi-year project to replace push-up dams which impede fish passage in the John Day River in north-central Oregon. The 100th replacement was completed in 2009.

Wetland Project

Neitzel Farm Habitat Restoration, which turned a small, family-owned farm near Seaside into active wetlands and habitat for salmon and other wildlife.

Munger Farm Restoration, a project that restored approximately 40 acres of wetlands on land adjacent to the Tualatin River near Sherwood, purchased with Metro’s voter-approved 1995 open-spaces bond measure.

Partnership Award

Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice Department for providing trash cleanup on state lands in the county since 2007.

The awards recognize responsible, sustainable stewardship of Oregon’s natural resources, as well as partnerships that advance the work of the board. More information.

Consent Agenda

The board approved the consent agenda:

Request for approval of the minutes of the February 9, 2010 State Land Board meeting.

Request for approval of the addition of two sites known as Whetstone and Willow Creek to the Oregon Register of Natural Heritage Resources.

Request for approval to initiate the review and determination of the sale of up to seventeen scattered forest parcels (approximately 3,041 acres) in Benton and Lincoln Counties.

Request for approval of a permanent easement to the Oregon Department of Transportation for a bridge over Lint Slough in Lincoln County.

Request for approval of a permanent easement to the Oregon Department of Transportation for a bridge over Big Creek in Lincoln County.

Informational Agenda

Annual review of Common School Fund investments: Mike Mueller from the Office of the State Treasurer presented the fund’s annual portfolio review. After significant declines in the value of the fund in 2008, the fund had a calendar year return of 30.4 percent.

Seafloor mapping project: Chris Goldfinger from Oregon State University provided a progress report on the project to map the territorial seafloor. By the end of 2010, about 40 percent of the floor will be mapped.

West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health: Jessica Keys from the Governor’s Office provided a status report on the tri-state effort to manage ocean policy on the west coast.

Update on litigation related to navigability: Louise Solliday briefed the Land Board on legal actions regarding river navigability on the Rogue, North Umpqua and Middle Fork of the Willamette rivers. More information.

Land acquisition activities at the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve: Louise Solliday presented an overview of the South Slough’s plans to purchase Common School forest lands; acquire lands adjacent to the reserve; pursue a multi-agency office facility in Charleston; and identify opportunities to acquire lands within the South Slough watershed that hold potential for studying carbon sequestration in coastal ecosystems.

Summary of actions from the February 2010 Special Legislative Session: Louise Solliday reported on House Bill 3613 (reinstatement through January 2, 2020, of the moratorium on exploration for oil, gas or sulfur in the territorial sea); and House Bill 5100 (funding and budget limitation to pay for an expert scientific witness and additional legal staff to prepare for the agency’s defense in the Portland Harbor Superfund Site cleanup process).